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Hi, I'm new to this forum and have always wanted to be able to talk to people who know a LOT more latin than I do. I speak Spanish, so Latin shouldn't be so hard for me..well...actually it should . I've read a few proverbs and have a dicctionary for Latin, but I'm still missing the basics. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to help me out with the verb to be. Thanks.

What's that? You want to know the imperfect subjunctive of esse? Well ok if you insist. Well let's start with abesse, to be away,

aufforem auffores aufforet

aufforemus aufforetis aufforent, they might be away

These are the most common forms of esse and must be learned immediately

Actually these are exceedingly rare forms found only in Episcopi imagination (perhaps he got carried away - ablatus est). These are the correct imperfect subjunctive forms to be learnt in the first lesson:

abessem (aforem)
abesses (afores)
abesset (aforet)

abessemus (aforemus)
abessetis (aforetis)
abessent (aforent)

The forms in brackets are optional and probably only suitable for fast learners.

And also Inter: please do not include forms such as aforetis which are not even in A&G. You really should not be here if you confuse beginners who are just trying to experience the joys of classical literature and society through unnecessary extremely obscure forms. I think that this is a disgrace.

You all must excuse Episcopus' estranged sense of humor; while his style is interesting, he regularly does very unusual things with forms and syntax. auforent (probably on analogy with auferrent) is not in Livy II. 23-34 or anywhere else to my knowledge. He already knows this, bad Episcopus!